A Defence of Poesie and Poems by Philip Sidney

"A Defence of Poesie and Poems" by Philip Sidney is a work of literary criticism written around 1580 and published in 1595. Sidney argues that poetry surpasses both history and philosophy in inspiring readers toward virtue by combining historical liveliness with ethical purpose. Responding to attacks on poetry, including Stephen Gosson's critique of the English stage, Sidney defends poetry's noble place in society through its power to teach and delight. This groundbreaking essay became England's first philosophical defense of imaginative literature during the Renaissance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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Author Sidney, Philip, 1554-1586
Title A Defence of Poesie and Poems
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Apology_for_Poetry
Credits Transcribed from the 1891 Cassell & Company edition by David Price
Reading Level Reading ease score: 64.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections
Subject Poetry -- Early works to 1800
Category Text
EBook-No. 1962
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Oct 8, 2014
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
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